WASH Finance blog
This blog addresses issues related to financing strategies and mechanisms for water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in rural and urban areas with a focus on the poorest and sustainability. It includes news collected by the editor of E-Source and contributions from IRC innovation programme staff working on the Financing and Cost Recovery theme and the WASHCost Project.
Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility launched
21 Aug 08
Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda and World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick today [20 Aug 2008] launched a new Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility.[...]The Facility will coordinate donor assistance to develop and maintain critical economic infrastructure in the Pacific Island Countries. The [...]
Islamic Asia Infrastructure Fund proposed
19 Aug 08
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to invest up to US$ 100 million in the Islamic Asia Infrastructure Fund. The ADB and the Islamic Development Bank aim to establish this Shari’ah-compliant private equity fund to invest in infrastructure projects (power, transportation, water and sanitation, and telecommunication) in member countries common to the two institutions, namely: [...]
Indonesia: Poor Sanitation Still Causes Heavy Health and Economic Losses
19 Aug 08
The economic costs of poor hygiene and sanitation in Indonesia reached an estimated US$6.3 billion, or 2.3 percent of GDP in 2006, according to a new report today released by the Water and Sanitation Program.The study, Economics Impacts of Sanitation in Indonesia, finds that the lack of access to sanitation poses heavy financial and economic [...]
Nepal: Ornaments mortgaged for drinking water
15 Aug 08
The women of Dautala of Dilasaini-2 have mortgaged their ornaments to fund a drinking water and irrigation project in the village after they did not get support from the government and other organizations. The villagers collected Rs. 2,00,000 from 20 households. [...] The villagers have laid 2 km pipes from the source to the reservoir [...]
SuSanA resources on sanitation costs & economics
12 Aug 08
The Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) Working Group on Costs & Economics (WG 02) has published a list of resources on the updated SuSanA web site.SuSanA will be holding its 7th meeting in Stockholm, Sweden from August 22nd to 24th 2008 on the weekend after Stockholm World Water Week.
Financing water and sanitation at local levels
11 Aug 08
WaterAid carried out analyses in 12 developing countries in Africa and Asia (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia) to identify some of the key blockages and systemic weaknesses that stand in the way of development finance reaching the local authorities who are responsible for delivering water and sanitation [...]
Venezuela: coal company to invest profits in potable water, health, education projects
16 Jul 08
Venezuelan state coal company Carbozulia has earmarked half of its 2008 profits, an estimated 64mn bolívares (US$29.8mn) according to company president Ovis Prieto, to improve health, education and potable water in the nearby cities of Mara and Páez. In 2009, Carbozulia plans to invest roughly 52mn bolívares in the same areas.Source: BNamericas [subscription site], 19 [...]
Latin America: Water authorities create regional committee to finance water resource protection
16 Jul 08
Peru’s national sanitation authority Sunass and its Brazilian, Chilean and Colombian counterparts will form a regional committee to promote an additional charge in water rates to help finance projects that protect water resources, state news agency Andina reported.The committee will exchange best practices in the application of payment for environmental services (PES), to be charged [...]
Brazil: Abcon promotes fair rates for water, sewerage services
15 Jul 08
Brazil’s national water and sewerage concessionaires association Abcon has started a campaign to promote fair rates for water and sewerage services.Speaking at a seminar on sources of financing for water and sanitation, organised by a lower house commission on environment and sustainable development, Abcon president Yves Besse mentioned several constraints faced by his members, including:rates [...]
Uganda: microfinance offered to urban poor in Kampala for toilet construction
09 Jul 08
Uganda Microfinance Limited and Centenary Bank are offering financial solutions to the urban poor in Kampala to purchase and install toilets.The toilets are being installed as part of a public-private initiative launched by the the Ministry of Water and Environment and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).“The project will be implemented in partnership with Crestanks and [...]
